Always
by Marshmallow73
Summary: When one cannot escape from a hopeless predicament... expect the unexpected. --Shut up and cry all you want. I'll always be here for you...--...--NejiTen fluff-ish fic-- Please R & R!


Always

By Marshmallow73

-x-

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A/N: Something to keep my mind work more sufficiently… I am so in a supremely detrimental mood today. I think it has something to do with my lack of self-orientation…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… Gawd, why did life have to be so inexorable?

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**Always**

Cold beads of perspiration slid down her porcelain cheek, dripping of her chin elegantly. She was sitting under an old, oak tree, her back propped up against the aging trunk.

Her garments were soiled, mud and blood splattered all over the cotton blouse. Her large summoning scroll was beside her, the writings inside all gone. Every weapon imaginable was scattered all over the grassy field, warm blood glistening on the blades.

She sighed inwardly and wiped the sweat off her face with her torn sleeve. She did not expect the mission to go this far. It was supposed to be a B-ranked one, but the brigands she faced were extremely skilled.

She had to summon every weapon she had just to fend off the missing-nin. She used all the basic taijutsu moves she had to bring down the criminals, and this tired her to the point where she could not even stand up.

Now she was trying to regain her lost chakra, sitting helplessly under a tree that might collapse any second. From afar, she could some ninja rise up slowly. They all had their eyes set on her, and she felt the weight of their stares.

They advanced towards her, hooks and kunai in hand. Tenten had never been scared like this before in her entire life. The shinobi marched towards her mockingly, tilting the blades as though warning her.

Reaching for a kunai hidden in her arm bandages, she tried to stand up by grabbing onto the tree's fallen branches. She leaned on the trunk, her grip on her weapon growing tighter with each passing second.

As the bandits neared her, it began to drizzle lightly. She looked up to the heavens and scowled jokingly. Raising her kunai to defend herself, she furrowed her brows and put on her most serious face. After all, who would want to smile when one is in her current predicament?

Lightning flashed and the sounds of deafening thunder ensued, just as all the brigands dashed towards her. Fearing for the worst, she lost all confidence in herself and the kunai fell to the ground with a small _clang_.

The look on their faces terrified her the most. Their expressions were all the same, all wanting for maximum carnage. She closed her eyes, waiting for the cold blades to pierce through her already frail body. She whimpered when she heard one of them laugh maniacally, and she clamped her calloused hands over her ears.

It was hopeless. She could not win against them. She had no energy left. She would surely die in this mission. No ally was with her, and that meant no one to save her. She knew she would always be stuck in problematic moments like these, but she was always saved by the 3 men of her team.

But that was over 2 years ago. Today was her first day of going on a highly ranked mission by herself, and she blew it. It was a failure. Nothing would help her escape from this quandary now.

She opened her eyes and saw the leader of the bandits just a meter away from her. He was holding an abnormally large kunai, one that would leave a humongous stab wound when used. Her eyes widened as he raised the kunai, preparing to strike.

Tenten did not even bother to protect herself. _It's either I die here or experience slow death in the clutches of the lowly members, _she told herself.

She shut her eyes when the man thrust his kunai down, resulting in a stomach-churning noise.

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No pain. No hurtful cries were emitting from her mouth. No sign of dizziness was overcoming her. Was this death already? She fluttered open her eyes and gasped at the scene painted before her eyes.

The first thing she saw were white garments billowing in the wind. Her gaze moved upward, and she saw familiar brown hair, flowing freely with the wind. She saw the large kunai turned over, as it was embedded in the leader's chest.

The other members of the brigands' group were all lying on the grassy ground, all still and not breathing.

"N-Neji?" she carefully asked, wondering if this was an illusion or not. She had not expected him to come, for she knew that it was the burial of his uncle today, and he was obliged to attend.

Hyuuga Neji turned around as the leader's body fell to the ground with a loud _thud_. He smiled serenely at Tenten. "You need more training," he said teasingly.

Tenten gaped in shock, and as realization come to set in her mind, she pounced on the man before her and gave him one of the tightest hugs in world history.

"I thought… I was going to d—"

"Shut up and cry all you want, woman. I'll always be here for you."

And with that statement, Konoha's Weapons Mistress smiled in delight as tears poured from her strained eyes.

-x-

The End!

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A/N: Haha, now wasn't the ending kinda crappy and corny? My mind is going _cuckoo-cuckoo!_ Right now! 0.o

Reviews are highly appreciated, so do care to give one! XD

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